13 Ways to Fix "KMODE Exception Not Handled" on Windows 10/11

Try these troubleshooting tips to stop this bothersome BSOD

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: March 10, 2025 Fact Checked

Are you encountering a blue screen of death (BSOD) with the error "KMODE exception not handled?" This is a frustrating issue to have, especially because the error code doesn't make it very clear why this crash is happening. This error occurs when your computer's error handler finds a critical error that it doesn't understand and can't resolve, which results in a crash. It most often occurs when programs overwrite each other's memory. In this article we go over 13 ways to fix this error and stop it for good.

Ways to Fix a KMODE Exception BSOD

Try disabling Fast Startup. If this doesn't fix the issue, update your drivers or completely reinstall them with DDU. You can also run the BSOD troubleshooter, Memory Diagnostic tool, SFC, and DISM to see if any problematic or corrupt files can be found and fixed.

1

Disable Fast Startup.

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Fast Startup helps your PC boot quicker. However, it can cause the KMODE exception error to occur when restarting your computer due to driver glitches. You can easily disable Fast Startup to see if this is the problem.
- Open up the Control Panel.
- Navigate to Hardware and Sound. Click the Power Options heading.
- On the left-hand side, select Choose what the power buttons do.
- Select Change settings that are currently unavailable near the top. As this is an administrator function it may prompt you to put in an administrator password.
- Uncheck "Turn on fast startup (recommended)". This option should be midway down the page. Save your changes once you've unchecked this option.

2

Update your drivers.

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Updating certain device drivers may fix the issue. Bad drivers are one of the leading causes of a KMODE exception. If a bad driver is the case, you can update your drivers using these steps:
- Boot in Safe Mode. To do this, press and hold the ⇧ Shift key while on the Windows sign-in screen, then select Power > Restart.
- Right click the Start button and select Device Manager.
- Expand Network Adapters and Display Adapters.
- Right click each device and select Update driver. After the drivers have been updated, restart your PC to see if the error still occurs.

3

Reinstall your drivers.

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Use DDU to completely remove your GPU drivers. Sometimes, new GPU drivers can have bugs that cause crashes, or your drivers might not have installed correctly and are now corrupted. The best way to fix this is to use DDU to uninstall your drivers, then reinstall them from your GPU's website.
- Download DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller).
- Restart your computer in Safe Mode. To do this, press and hold the ⇧ Shift key while on the Windows sign-in screen, then select Power > Restart.
- Navigate to where you downloaded DDU and run it.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall your GPU drivers. DDU will restart your PC once it's done uninstalling the drivers.
- Go to your GPU manufacturer's website and download your desired driver. You can try the newest driver, or you may want to go back one or two versions if you're concerned that the newest driver is causing the error.
- Install the drivers once they are finished downloading, following all on-screen instructions.

4

Run the BSOD Troubleshooter.

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Run the BSOD troubleshooter to identify the issue. Windows has a number of built-in troubleshooters to help you figure out why certain things are happening on your computer. One of these troubleshooters can help you with BSOD (or blue screen of death) errors.^{[1]
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- In the taskbar search bar, type "Get help".
- Open the Get Help application.
- In the Get Help app, search for "Troubleshoot blue screen error".
- Click on Troubleshoot blue screen error.
- Go through the troubleshooter to identify the issue, then follow the on-screen steps to fix the problem.

5

Run the Memory Diagnostics tool.

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Check for memory problems with the Windows diagnostic tool. Memory problems are a major reason the KMODE exception error occurs. You can use the Memory Diagnostics tool to find out if there's issues with your memory that could be causing this BSOD.
- Type "Windows Memory Diagnostic" into the taskbar search bar.
- Click Restart now and check for problems. If you can't restart your computer at the moment, you can instead click Check for problems the next time I start my computer. The next time you restart your computer, Windows will run the Memory Diagnostic tool.
- Allow the tool to run. It may take some time for it to finish completely.
- Review the results. Your computer will restart after the tool is finished, and will show you a pop-up with the results of the tool. If you see that there are memory problems, try reseating your RAM.

6

Reseat your RAM.

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Make sure your RAM is seated properly. If the Memory Diagnostics tool says that there's an issue with your memory, you should try reseating the RAM first.
- Lower the latches that hold your RAM sticks in place.
- Remove each RAM stick by pulling firmly, but never forcing it out.
- Place each RAM stick back into place by pressing it straight down into the RAM slot. Press until you hear a click and the lever has moved up to the locked position. However, never force the RAM to go into the slot, as this could damage the parts.
  - If you're still getting the KMODE exception after reseating your RAM and the Memory Diagnostics tool still states there is a memory problem, you likely need to replace your RAM.

7

Clear the CMOS.

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Remove the CMOS battery to wipe your BIOS settings. Sometimes, custom BIOS settings can interfere with your computer. The best and easiest way to fix this is to remove the CMOS battery to clear out those custom settings, then to put it back into your mobo.
- Locate the coin battery on your motherboard.
- Remove the battery using the latch, and leave it out of the motherboard for a few seconds.
- Place the CMOS battery back in the motherboard.

8

Uninstall Gigabyte RGB Fusion 2.0.

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Uninstall your RGB controller if you have a Gigabyte motherboard. Many users have found that Gigabyte's RGB Fusion 2.0 program was the cause of their KMODE exception errors.^{[2]
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- Use a program like Revo Uninstaller to completely uninstall RGB Fusion 2.0. Sometimes, random files from programs will remain after using Windows's built-in uninstaller, and these files can cause issues.
- If you still want to use RGB inside your case, try using an open-source RGB controller like OpenRGB.

9

Reinstall Easy Anti Cheat.

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Use Steam to reinstall Easy Anti Cheat. If you get the KMODE exception while playing a game that uses Easy Anti Cheat (EAC), you can fix this by removing the EAC folder in your Program Files and then reinstalling it via Steam.
- Open File Explorer and go to This PC > your main drive (usually C:) > Program Files (x86).
- Locate the "EasyAntiCheat" folder.
- Delete this folder from Program Files.
  - If you don't see an "EasyAntiCheat" folder in your Program Files, you are likely not experiencing an issue with EAC and should try the other methods in this article.
- Open the local files of a game that uses EAC. You can usually do this by going to the game in your game launcher (Steam, Epic, Ubisoft, etc.), right-clicking the game, and choosing Browse local files.
- Find the "EasyAntiCheat_Setup.exe" file. This may be in a folder named "EasyAntiCheat."
- Run "EasyAntiCheat_Setup.exe" as an administrator.
- Choose the Install option.

10

Run DISM and SFC.

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Use DISM and SFC to try and repair your computer. Windows has two built-in repair commands, Windows Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) and Windows System File Checker (SFC).^{[3]
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Go to source} These tools can help you identify problems on your computer and fix them. To run DISM and SFC, follow these steps:
- Open up the Command Prompt. Type "Command Prompt" into the taskbar search bar and open up the Command Prompt app.
- Run the following commands. You can run both of these tools but Windows recommends running DISM first.
  - DISM: Dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
  - SFC: SFC /scannow
- Restart your PC. After the commands have finished running, restart your computer to see if the error has been resolved.

11

Reinstall Windows.

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Try reinstalling Windows to wipe out bad driver issues. If a KMODE exception is occurring because of software issues, completely reinstalling Windows should help. This is a last resort, but if nothing else fixes the error, you may want to consider this option.^{[4]
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Go to source} However, if the errors persist after reinstalling Windows, the issue is likely with your hardware.
- Restart your PC and hold F8 when the boot screen is visible. This will take you to the Windows Recovery Environment.
  - Some devices may require you to hold down Fn+F8 instead of just F8.
- Navigate to Troubleshoot > Reset this PC. Select to either keep your files or remove everything and follow the on-screen instructions to refresh your Windows installation.
- Wait for the process to finish. Once your computer has finished reinstalling your operating system, you should be able to get back into your PC without the error loop occurring.

12

Update your BIOS.

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Updating your BIOS is a last-ditch effort. If nothing else works, try updating your BIOS. Updating the BIOS manually can be tricky, and it can cause your computer to stop working if something goes wrong in the process. If you're not confident in updating the BIOS yourself, bring your computer to a computer repair shop and ask for assistance.
- Check your BIOS version if you can access your computer. If you can't get onto your computer, skip to the next step.
  - Search for msinfo in the taskbar search bar.
  - Click System Information.
  - Note down what it says your BIOS Version is.
  - Go to your motherboard manufacturer's website and check to see what the latest firmware version is for your motherboard. If your BIOS is outdated, continue with the next step.
- Download the latest BIOS firmware version. If you can't access your computer, you'll need to do this on a different computer.
- Put the BIOS firmware update on a USB drive. If you're doing this on your own computer, you can leave the drive inserted. If you're doing this on another computer, eject the drive once the update file copies over, then insert it into your computer.
- Restart your computer. If your computer was already turned off, you can turn it on.
- Press the BIOS/UEFI button. You'll want to hit the button to open your BIOS/UEFI when you see your motherboard logo pop up on the screen. The button to open the BIOS/UEFI for the most popular motherboard brands are listed below, but you may want to check your motherboard manual for specifics:
  - ASUS: Delete or F2
  - ASRock: Delete or F2
  - EVGA: Delete or F2
  - Gigabyte: Delete or F2
  - MSI: Delete
- Update your BIOS. How you install the update varies between motherboard manufacturers, but you should see an option to Update BIOS from Drive (or something similar). You may have to go to the Boot menu first.
  - Once the update is complete, restart your computer if it doesn't automatically restart.

13

Bring it to a computer repair technician.

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Contact a local computer repair shop for help. If you have exhausted all other options, a professional computer repair specialist might be able to help. The specialist may be able to diagnose the problem more effectively after seeing your PC in person. This is especially helpful if you've narrowed down that the issue is hardware related, but you're not sure which hardware is at fault.
- To find a computer repair shop, look on your favorite search engine. Look for professional shops that have a number of good reviews, or get suggestions from friends and family for repair shops.
- If you have a laptop and you're getting the CPU over temperature error, going to a repair shop is the best bet. Laptops are difficult to fix on your own as the parts aren't always the easiest to remove or replace.